I just had a discussion with a friend and he told me he uses his left hand to operate the joystick and his right hand for the engines since planes with a sidestick have the same layout. I on the other hand have been using my right hand since I started simming 10 years ago.
This made me curious, so I was wondering if using the left hand for flying is more common then I thought it was.
My question only applies to joysticks, not to yokes of course.
It depends on the plane.
Most (if not all) military planes have a right hand stick and left hand throttle.
The vast majority of civilian planes with a stick have a left hand stick and right hand throttle, although there are a few exceptions.
Gonna go out on a limb and say most folks here fly with their left hand if they can. It’s the Captain’s seat and we’re all captains in MSFS 
Left hand on Virpil CM3 Throttle, right hand on VKB Gunfighter Pro stick with extension mounted in middle.
Thinking about a Honeycomb Yoke just for MSFS 2020. I do a lot of combat flight simming in DCS and IL-2 Great Battles so that is primarily what I got the above hardware for.
Just recently really starting to get back into this sim with MSFS 2020. Too many sims not enough time lol.
I have two hardware. Logitech X-56 HOTAS, and Thrustmaster TCA Airbus Edition Captain Pack.
I use my Logitech X-56 HOTAS to fly the F/A-18. And I use my right-hand on the joystick, and my left-hand on the throttle. This is to simulate the same position of the throttle in the military aircraft. And that the X-56 is only right-hand oriented, so I have to use my right hand anyway.
When I use my Thrustmaster TCA Airbus Edition Captain Pack for my Airbus flying. I use my left-hand for the joystick(side stick) and my right hand for the throttle. Same reason, when I’m sitting as the captain, the sidestick is positioned on the left, and the throttle is on the right. So I setup the same way.
So depending on the aircraft that I fly, I switch the hardware and I switch my flying hand.
I fly GA and it’s left hand for me.
I fly right handed because the Thrust Master TM.16000 and TWCS only work properly in that orientation. The stick can be adjusted to left handed, but the throttle can not be set up for the right hand.
I definitely would like to have a good left handed option, too. I’ve thought about buying a yoke and throttle quadrant so I can use throttle and mouse with right hand, but I can’t really explain owning multiple sets of controls to the wife
“OH NOES! My HOTAS setup broke. I need to get new flight sim controls”
…2 weeks after getting yoke / throttle
“Wow! I let Friend X who’s good with electronics look at my old setup and he managed to fix it!”
So you prefer right handed for control, With your Joystick?
Sorry I wasn‘t clear about this.
Yes I am simming for 10 years now and if it comes down to joysticks, I have always used my right hand.
You were clear on your post, just intrigued, what do you generally fly?
I’ve always flown with stick in right hand since my first sim (Falcon 3.0) in 1993. Switching to a yoke and flying with my left hand took a while to get used to.
I suppose it could also raise the question having the the flight Stick between your legs. Again depending on the cockpit.
I fly pretty much anything from small GA to Airliners.
Then you are in Co-pilot seat, with airliners I assume, and a lot of GA planes…I assume its just traditional, I will not google it, I will remain intrigued.
There must be a story behind that…who gives you the right to sit on the left…to be in charge?
I’m left handed but since I’ve been using right-hand computer mice since literally the mid-80’s, I’ve got reasonably okay fine large muscle control on that side by now. Since most moderately-priced flight sticks and HOTAS setups have a right stick/left throttle arrangement, that’s what I use.
I should be if I would stick to the „rules“ yes. I have never flown on the co pilot side though. I think it all comes down to what I was used to in the beginning. The first time I bought a joystick, I instinctively used my right hand. To be honest, I have never thought of using my left hand before said discussion with my friend.
I can relate to that since I am left handed as well. Back then it was just logical for me.
Mouse = right hand. Therefore Joystick = right hand as well.
I find it really interesting that so many are using their left hand. I guess I have to re-program my muscle memory to start using the „correct“ hand for joystick interactions.
Using a VKB Gladiator NXT with my right hand…
